Romancing a Princess Part 1
by Keito
Summary: Here's the first part of a 2xR story I'm working on. Duo has to figure out some way to make Relena forget Heero...Don't read if you don't like Duo and Relena as a couple. And be a responsible reader and review. Please?


Romancing a Princess Part 1  
By: Keito   
10/16/00  
  
  
By all accounts it had been a gorgeous night. An incredibly boring night, but gorgeous nonetheless. Duo had spent the entire evening accompanying Relena as she made her rounds at the formal ball, greeting a horde of diplomats and royalty to whom she did her best to look indebted to as they reminded her of various galas she had had the pleasure of attending and even more problems they had 'allowed' to solve. She had been wonderful, of course, making sure to praise and pet the right egos and only allowing her aqua eyes to glaze slightly as they inevitably launched into monologues proclaiming their own self-worth. Periodically Duo found he had to pull her away on the pretense of something gravely serious in order to talk to her and get her to lighten up. That was his job at these functions, to play the perfect, gentlemanly, aloof bodyguard. Of course, he wasn't very good at it....but for her sake, he tried.  
  
_ 'For her sake I would try anything.'_ He thought lazily as he nuzzled her hair. Now that everyone had gone home and the affair was safely over they could both relax. She was already drifting off, half turned away from him. A smirk crossed the American's handsome face, a mischievous glint in his violet eyes. She wouldn't be relaxing long if he had anything to do with it...Quietly he slid his arms around her waist beneath the cotton of her sleepshirt, lightly stroking the soft skin of her stomach and moving upwards to the swell of her breasts.   
  
"Relena..."He breathed in her ear, kissing the sensitive place just below it.. So intent was he on what he was doing that he almost missed it, a soft exhalation that seemed more of a longing sigh than a word."  
  
"Heero..."  
  
Duo stopped short. He felt as if the breath had just been knocked out of him by artillery impact. By some tacit agreement she hadn't brought up Heero's name since the early days of their relationship when Duo had been her comforter and confidante in the lonely time right after the other pilot's disappearance. But from there he had moved on, to lover, and (he had hoped, thought) to love. Sleepily Relena turned to look at him, her peaceful smile fading as she saw the confused hurt in Duo's eyes. Forcibly she pulled herself to a sitting position, concerned.  
  
"Duo, is there something wrong?" Her honey blonde hair tumbled over her shoulders as she leaned foreword to stroke his cheek. For spite he considered pulling away from her touch, but found he was hypnotized as always by the feel and look of her, the beautiful and confident woman who had blossomed from the confused yet pretty child he had saved those years before. So he forced a grin, playfully kissing her palm and lying back.   
  
"Nah, nothing Ojousan. I'm here with you, so what could be wrong?"   
  
Now it was Relena's turn to look hurt. She could always tell when he was acting. It was part of what drew her to him, that understanding of masking your way through life. They had agreed to never have to disguise themselves in front of each other, so what was with him? Annoyed, Relena took hold of his trademark braid and tugged, hard.  
  
Ouch. Duo sat up immediately, glaring. Maybe she was still more childish than he had given her credit for. "What was that for?!"  
  
"Talk to me." She pleaded, taking one of his hands in hers. Carefully he moved out of her grasp.   
  
"Fine." Better to talk it out, get it straight, then to sit here and brood. "Fine, Relly, let's talk." His hands came down on her shoulders. "I need to know, Relena. I need to know if you love me. More specifically, I need to know if you feel the same way about me as you do about Heero Yuy." Relena averted her gaze guiltily, a flush creeping into her cheeks. He saw her thinking, searching for the right answer, and tightened his grip.  
  
"No, Relena, I don't want a practiced political answer from you. I'm not asking the ex-queen, or the vice foreign minister. I'm asking Relena. And if you sit here and tell me you don't love me and you just want to be friends who happen to fuck around on the weekends, I'm still going to be here for you but I have to warn you, oujousan, I'm too far gone for you to like it much...." He knew he wasn't being fair to her, and damn it, she was crying now, he wanted so badly to take it all back and just continue with his original plan.  
  
"Duo..I.." She began in a slightly choked voice, not wanting to say it but refusing to lie. "No matter how much he hates me or hurts me, what I felt... feel... for Heero is what I always thought love should feel like. The breathlessness, the excitement, heart pounding, bells ringing...Not that I don't sometimes feel that way towards you..."  
  
"Don't sugarcoat it, Relly."   
  
Her head drooped. "With you, I feel safer, I suppose, more free to be myself. You can make me laugh, cheer me up, you understand me.."  
  
"But I don't give you sparks. Fair enough." With a sharp sigh he collapsed back against the pillows. "But I'm here, and he's not, and I'm going to make you understand that...." They lay there for long, long minutes before Duo finally leaned over, placing a hand on her arm. "Relena?" A small sniffle was his only answer. He turned her to him carefully, as if she would break, and Relena was surprised to see the beginnings of a genuine smile on his face. "I think I figured out the problem." She continued to stare at him blankly, her tired brain vaguely processing the thought of how could he stand to talk to her when she was obviously so unworthy?. Patiently, he continued.  
  
"Relena, have we ever actually been out on a date?"   
  
Surprised, she stopped to think. In the first few months they had spent all their time anywhere in the house where she could sit for a few hours and cry about how miserable she was. Then he began keeping her company while she worked, serving as her official guard at functions, and keeping her occupied in her room, but as far as actual going out...  
  
"No." She replied in amazement.   
  
"See, that's just it. Even though we've technically been together, it hasn't exactly been a romance because I'm here all the time." Relena mulled it over for a moment and nodded.   
  
"I guess that makes sense...so what are you going to do about it?" _And I hope I'm not a hopeless case, I do care for you Duo, and I don't ever want to be the one to hurt you...  
  
_ The boy's face lit up as he made his way off the bed, pausing only to kiss the tip of her nose. "For starters, I'm leaving," He answered as he headed to the door. "and starting tomorrow, pretty ojousan," He shot her a wink. "I'm going to sweep you off your feet."  
  
~fin  
  
A/N As always, GW does not belong to me. Not even a little bit. Questions, comments, and critiques can be sent to RelenaMaxwell@hotmail.com. Other notes...I've been dying to have someone mst/riff my work. Maybe not this one, since it's going to be the series, but either of my other two 2xr fics are up for grabs if you'd like them. And, also as always, I have to tell everyone out there to please be 2xr supportive and write fanfics, draw fanart, join the mailing list, cosplay as Duo and Relena and take pictures being cute...::shrugs:: I don't care, I just have to say that. It's a calling. Oh, and R&R! Those reviews are going to decide whether this story gets anywhere....  
  
  



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